Hello! I came from Syria, from Aleppo and I am Kurdish. I speak four languages and now I am learning German and Greek a little bit. I am alone here. I left my country four years ago. I am alone here and my family is in Aleppo-Afrin. I was in Turkey for three years and then I came to Chios island.
Now, I am in Athens and I learn English with my friend. Also, I am a volunteer eight months now. By being a volunteer interpreter, I help other refugees, lawyers and some organisations to communicate with each other.
Also, I have put so much effort, all by myself and without the help of a lawyer or a guardian, in order to have the needed documents and I finally took the stamp. I am leaving for Germany so as to stay there and study technology and the language. I want to do new things in my life. I want to show people that although I am young and I am a refugee, I can do nice things in my life, all alone. Moreover, I want to show people that they have to be strong because life is very hard.
I do not do anything bad here and in my life too. I do not want to be a bad boy, I like being the best boy. I try to do this and I promise myself to do good things in my life.
I came illegally in Greece. My life is not good here but I am fine with it. I have to stay here and I have to be strong because I cannot go to Germany, due to the fact that I do not have the needed documents. It is not proper to go with a fake passport or a fake ID card, as some people do.
Now, I stay in a hotel (for refugees) but earlier, I was staying in a house with some minors. Τwo months ago, they took me to Ritsona refugee camp, which is far from Athens, so as to stay with some other minors. However, I am a volunteer in Athens and I cannot stay in Ritsona. They said to me that I had to stay in Ritsona, while they were helping me to get my documents. In Ritsona, we had a lawyer who was helping us, minors, but she lied to me. She told me that she could not help me get my documents and she told me that they had to take me to a house with other minors, in Athens. I do not believe anyone now because they do not help me. I just believe in myself and I believe in Allah, just this.
When I came back in Athens, I had many friends from other countries who helped me and they wanted to take me out of here because my life cannot be here. I stay in Greece just because I am strong, I have many good friends and I have met many nice people and families here. I am at Skaramagas camp now, as a volunteer to a non-governmental organisation. I make clothes and I help people learn how to make their own clothes. I know this job because I have been using this sewing machine for four years now.
These days I am very happy because I am going to Crete with some other people from another country. I am really really happy because it is my dream to go to Crete before I leave Greece. Some people told me that Crete is very very beautiful and I like to go and see it and take photos. I have taken photos from Athens and generally from Greece and when I will go to Germany I will look at my photos from Greece and recall that I have been here. If I come back, I will bring my friends from other countries in Greece and I will show them the country. Greece is very beautiful! It is very nice and I know it because I have been here with my friends, in some cities far from Athens.
Recently, I started being involved in photography. Also, I have many jobs to do and I want to do all of them. I know every single job and I have many skills. If someone asks me anything, I will tell him:“Yes, I know this job”. Moreover, when I will study about technology and become a technologist, with the help of my friends, we want to do something new in life. Something that is very different. This is my dream!
I have to thank my dad very much because he is beside me every single day and he teaches me what to do in my life, not to do bad things and how to be a good boy. I miss my family but I cannot do anything to meet them because they are in Aleppo and…yes, I am happy but I really miss my family. If my family was here, I would have no problem. I would not have a problem staying in Greece and I would not have problems in my life. That’s it. Thank you very much!
Interviewer’s name: Anxhela Dani
Country of origin: Syria
Sex: M
Age: 17